Ink or Sink
by Browa123
Summary: Twenty years after DJ Octavio's defeat, his daughter, Octet, vows revenge against the Inklings for humiliating the octarians once again. A member of the elite octoling force, Agent 8-Kappa, meets a quirky inkling that makes her reconsider everything she's known about the world up to that point.
1. Zap and Kappa

Our story takes place in the distant future. It has been twenty years since the Zapfish was stolen and recovered by agents 1, 2, Orange and Blue. Though the operation was to be kept quiet, Agents Orange and Blue soon became renowned in the world of Turf War. They may have been enemies on the battlefield, but the duo became just as famous a pair as the squid sisters as years passed. But, our story is not about those two…

No, our story takes place far from Inkopolis, in a land shunned by the bustle of the inklings of the zones. Deep in Octo Valley, Octet, Octavio's daughter was planning her own attack on Inkopolis. With the agents long past their octarian hunting days, Octet found it the perfect time to strike with her legion of elite octolings. From Alpha to Omega, the legion of twenty-four octoling set out to Zapfish storage to steal the Zapfish.

Agent 8-Kappa, who was assigned to the mission, stood guard over the area. It was her job to make sure that no inklings saw the octarians infiltrating Zapfish Storage. She stood guards, eyes sharp through her goggles, looking for movement.

"Heya!"

"Wh-! Hey! Who do you think you are?!" Kappa exclaimed at the sudden voice. There was a young inkling wearing a funny set of headphones standing beside her. He had wide, expectant eyes and a large grin. He looked like an overgrown four year old "Intros already, okay! I'm Zap! Zap the Inkling!" trumpeted the inkling. His voice was moderate, and a little scratchy, kind of like a higher-pitched teenage boy with some throat issues. "I used to be called something else, but my name was so stupid I changed it. I don't really remember what it was anymore, anyway!" Zap cheered.

This kid was getting annoying.

"Look, uh, Zap… I don't have time to talk right now, so why don't you go play over there with your inking gun or something…." Kappa groaned. "Okay, first, It's a limited edition, high tech Krak-on Splatroller," Huffed Zap, annoyed at Kappa's remark. Guess she struck a nerve. "Second, I can't just go play with it, because I still have to pass the 'Turf War Entrance Programme'," Zap continued. "And third, you have to introduce yourself, too. Because it's polite."

Who did this little inkling think he was?! Causing a ruckus and demanding things of an elite octoling agent! Does this kid even know what an octoling is?!

"I'll leave you alone after you introduce yourself. And, I say those goggles would look a lot more fresh if you wore them on your head instead of your face, plus your teticles would make a good ponytail," Zap said, continuing to run his mouth. "Alright, alright. My name is Agent 8-Kappa," Kappa introduced.

And the rest was history as Zap left, leaving Kappa curious. She found herself putting her goggles on her forehead and tying her tentacles into a ponytail that night. The plunder had been a success, but there was just something bugging Kappa that night.

She decided to go find Zap again in the morning, in private, of course.


	2. Zap's Backstory

Zap was sitting on the ledge overlooking Inkopolis. The young, deep green inkling let out a sad sigh. "Next month…I'll get in next month…" He told himself. It was around morning time, and the inkling was sitting alone. Kappa walked up to him when she saw Zap sitting alone. "Hey kid, what's wrong?" Kappa asked. Zap looked up at his new acquaintance he met yesterday afternoon.

"Not much… I just…failed to pass the program again…" Zap sighed. His usually eccentric nature had all washed away. "How long have you been trying? Is it difficult?" Kappa asked. "Oh, I've been trying to get in for three years now… You need to pass the program in order to get into Inkopolis. I usually pass most of it, there's just one thing that prevents me from passing…" sighed Zap. Kappa looked curious now. Zap noted that she was wearing her weird goggles on her head instead of over her face, now, and she also had her tentacles in a ponytail. "What's holding you back?" She asked. "My heath problems, they say I'm not physically fit enough to participate yet, and that one of my… problems… is a danger to my own team" Zap explained. Kappa's curiosity just seemed to grow. She didn't look that curious when he'd met her yesterday.

"I guess I need to explain and stuff," Zap chuckled. "You see, ever since I was little, I had a very weak immune system…"

(Flashback Start)

"If anyone within a kilometre of me had a cold, I'd catch it within ten minutes."

*A young Zap, without his outfit or clunky headphones is shown sneezing*

"I missed a lot of school because of it, I was sick about ninety percent of the time, and the other ten, would be the only time I would be able to have any fun. Now, one day, the school was having a field trip at the Zapfish Factory, and it was during a time when I wasn't sick, so I got to go, too. I don't travel all that often, so asked if I could bring my plushie to make me feel more comfortable. The teacher agreed, as long as I was careful not to loose it in the power plant. At the time, one of the Zapfish's containers had been broken, and it was wandering around lost. Even if I was trying to be careful, my grip slipped and I lost my plush while trying to keep up with the other students. I went to go find it during free time."

*The young Zap is wandering through the halls of the power plant, looking for his plushie*

"I thought I found it lying on the ground in front of me. I picked it up and cuddled it, only to find out it wasn't my plushie, but the missing Zapfish. I wasn't in any protective gear or had any professional Zapfish handling skills, so I got electrocuted. My arms had locked in place around the Zapfish, and I couldn't move. I just kept getting more electricity pumped into my system. An employee eventually heard the sparks and screams and rushed over. He was calling for help when I blacked out."

*The employee is standing and talking into his transceiver*

*"Hey, we have a problem!"

"Yeah, I found it; a kid's got it locked in a death-grip!"

"I think he's blacking out, get his supervisor and medical help immediately!"

"He's pretty roughed up; do you think he'll make it?"

"His folks aren't going to be too happy; do you know why he did that?"

"I think he mistook it for this plush Zapfish."*

"I woke up in the hospital a few days later. My head was pounding in serious pain, and the rest of me just felt numb. There were a lot of machines and wires attacked to me. There also this large piece of headgear with two wires sticking out around my ears. Volts of electricity seemed to be running down them. That's when the doctor walked in."

*"Hey there, you're a very luck kid, you know that. Most adult inklings don't survive holding a Zapfish without protective gear that long and survive."

"Oh…I messed up, didn't I? Mommy and Daddy must be mad at me…"

"Don't worry, kid. They're glad you're alive. But, there are some minor side effects concerning your already weak health. You see the wires attacked to your headgear?"*

(Flashback Over)

"After having so much electricity blasted into my body like that, I became electrically charged myself. I kinda turned into a weaker version of a Zapfish, but still an inkling. My ears would release electric sparks every now and then. It's no static electricity, I'll tell you that. The release of electricity could electrocute anyone nearby. That's what these are for," Zap explains as he points to his clunky headphones. "They stop the charge from leaving my ears and electrocuting anything, as well as emit low sound waves to stop me from getting intense headaches. I'm in big trouble if they fall off… My immune system is a bit better, but if my headphones fall off during something important, say a turf war, my head would begin to pound with so much pain, I'd be immobilized, and my ears could electrically charge the ink, putting my team at risk… That's why they won't let me pass…" Zap finished, looking solemn.

Kappa put a hand on the inkling's shoulder. "Do you think your headphones will fall off during a turf war?" she asked, a hard look in her eyes. "No… they're attached to my head and keep the charges in check, they shouldn't be able to…" Zap responded. "Well, why worry then, sport? If they don't come off, they shouldn't be a problem!" Kappa cheered. "Yeah, tell that to the heads of the turf war entrance program," Zap huffed. Kappa looked insistent. "If you believe you can make it into Inkopolis, you go for it, no matter how hard it is," Kappa said. She looked a little out of her element talking to Zap.

"You're right…I'll try again next month…and then the month after that and then after than until I get in!" Zap cheers, yesterday's cheeriness beginning to return. "Thank you Miss Kappa!" Zap calls, flinging his arms around the octoling. "How about we go get some Crabby Cakes, I could go for something to eat!" the revitalised inkling called, getting to his feet. "I'd be up for that," Kappa decided.

This was the start of something for Zap. Kappa seemed like a nice person behind her seeming awkwardness around others, and she might just be the friend Zap has been looking for all fifteen years of his life. The two walked into the sunrise, ready to chow down on some much needed crabby cakes.


End file.
